The Boston Red Sox and their fanbase know that a winning offseason can set the team up for World Series contention in 2026 and beyond. The Red Sox should take care to keep Alex Bregman in Boston and go after additional pitching, but another huge target for Boston this winter might be New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who has already stated that he will opt out of his deal.
Red Sox fans are already trying to speak an Alonso signing into existence, and, admittedly, there are a few factors that make an Alonso-Boston union a good match. The Red Sox need a reliable, everyday player at first base, and Alonso’s star power and durability (coming off back-to-back seasons of 162 games played) would more than suffice. Alonso’s righty bat fits perfectly at Fenway Park, and his wife is originally from Boston.
NESN analyst and beloved Red Sox voice Lou Merloni hasn’t been shy about expressing his desire to see Boston land Alonso. When asked about his dream scenario for the Red Sox’s offseason on October 7, Merloni featured Alonso in his reply.
“Too soon for the Master plan but Trading for Joe Ryan and signing Shane Bieber is a good start,” Merloni said. “I’d also like a certain Arctic Marine Mammal.” Merloni has since changed his profile picture to a photo of a polar bear, which is Alonso's nickname.
Pete Alonso and Scott Boras might have already crushed the Red Sox’s dreams of signing the first baseman
Alonso is represented by well-known agent Scott Boras, with whom the Red Sox are probably close to these days (Boras also represents Bregman).
Given some new developments about Alonso’s contract situation, however, the Red Sox might be wishing that Alonso was represented by an agent with less savvy. According to The New York Post’s Mike Puma, Alonso and Boras are seeking a seven-year deal.
“Alonso, who turns 31 in December, is expected to seek a contract of at least seven years — a length consistent with deals the player’s agent, Scott Boras, completed in recent seasons for Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman at the same age (Chapman received a six-year extension from the Giants after his first season with the club on a different contract),” Puma wrote.
Seven years! If a team were to succumb to such a demand, they'd probably end up paying Alonso big money once he’s (presumably) transitioned from first base to DH in his late 30s.
Ultimately, though, this 'seven-year' talk must be viewed as more of a bargaining tactic from Boras than a realistic appraisal of Alonso’s value in the context of the market, even if some die-hard Mets fans would disagree.
Pete Alonso won’t get 7 years. Mets know it, Pete knows it and so does Scott Boras.
— Ben Yoel (@Ben_Yoel) October 12, 2025
That being said you might as well aim for the moon and start negotiations high if you’re him. I think he ends up getting 4-5 years and 150-180m. https://t.co/n0hRsudG03
It doesn’t take an expert on MLB contract negotiations to know that the Red Sox can still land Alonso for a shorter contract tenure, but they’ll have to play hardball with Boras to do so. Boras would no doubt be pitting multiple of Alonso’s suitors against one another as leverage.
The San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees are among the rumored landing spots for Alonso. Both teams, and/or others, could give the Red Sox some serious competition this winter. Of course, there’s also the possibility that Alonso signs a new deal with the Mets.
Between Bregman and (possibly) Alonso, Boston’s chief baseball officer Breslow will certainly be getting to know Boras even more so over the next few months. At a certain point, Breslow and the Red Sox will have to look in the mirror and determine with an air of cool detachment just how much they really value Alonso, because it won’t be easy or cheap to acquire him.
Of course, Alonso is generally perceived as a star, and for good reason. He represents one of the most powerful and reliable right-handed bats in baseball, and while not known as a plus defender, he has an underrated ability to scoop bad throws at first base (something that numbers don’t account for).
There's also no indication that Alonso is declining yet. He hit .272/.347/.524 in 2025 with 38 homers and 126 RBI, and as aforementioned, he’s been extremely durable over the last two seasons.